Merhaba from Beysiher,

Merhaba from Beysiher,

We have spent two days in the mountains above Manavgat searching for the two subspecies of I. stenophylla. We found I. stenophylla subsp. stenophylla below Beysiher at a high elevation (about 1050 M) with cushion plants and weedy grasses.

The attempt to find the subspecies allisonii was not as successful. We encountered two men with a child of about four while searching a likely stony area. We had what we think is a place name where a goat herder had seen the subspecies recently. We showed the two men a picture of iris and the place name. They wanted to hike to the site with us. We hiked for several kilometers over very rough and steep terrain and arrived at a pinnacle overlooking a ravine. The men indicated that we wanted to climb down and enter the large cave at the base of the ravine. The child sat down and refused to go further. Clyde and I acted skeptical and indicated that we felt it was too close to dark to climb into the ravine. The men insisted that there was a goat trail down and we would see "them" hanging from the cave ceiling. This was the point when Clyde and I had real reservations. We convinced them to turn back and we hiked back to the road. There we ate oranges and parted friends. In retrospect I think they were hoping to show us bats.

The trip south from Beysiher was beautiful as we passed though a few small towns and high mountain passes. We occasionally saw families walking with their mule or riding in a cart pulled by their mule. We also saw goat herders with large flocks.